Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-09-01
TRUST IN THE FATHER.
EXPLANATORY NOTES BY REV. r.
S. MARTHUR. D. D.

oCAooA AC4ep Il CbcE W ts
V. "a. No man, etc.-It is important to
emphasize the idea that the service is that of
slave, because this fact removes all ground
Of doubt as to whether a man can really
serve two masters. A slave must give per-
feet obedience; If he had two masters his
service would be divided The aim here is to
enforce the duty of singleness of affection
toward God. Whatever claims our supreme
love is our master; no man can really be a
slave to two distinct masters or to. two con-
ficting interests BE will hate, etc.-Hate
here, as often in Scripture, signifies to love
less; in this sense Jacob loved Rachel, but he
hated Leah; in this sense God says, Jacob
have loved, but Esau have l hated. He
cannot serve God, etc.-He who gives his
heart to the world robs God; at the bottom
of every mans life we see that he has but one
controlling purpose, one dominating aim.
Mammon.-This is an Aramaic word; it is
applied to wealth or riches, but originally it
referred to trust or confidence; it is properly
used for wealth when it is ground of hope
or trust, Markx, "a. Some have said that
it is the name of Syrian god which was an
object Of worship, but this is extremely
doubtful. Milton represents Mammon as one
of the lost spirits, and has thus done much to
give the idea that he was an object Of wor-
ship by the Syrians, as Plutus wasb in the
Greek mythology. Under this name riches
are personified and placed in opposition to
God. Christ was not opposed to earthly
wealth: the beggar Lazarus is represented in
paradise as being in the bosom of Abraham
the rich man. But Christ did oppose giving
wealth or anything else thu place that belongs
to God alone.
V. 25. Therefore l say unto you.-This is
very emphatic. 1, your authoritative
teacher. Take no thought, etc.-The word
thought has changed It's meaning since our
common version was 2 ade; both Bacon and
Shakespeare use it IL the sense of undue
solicitude. The meaning here is, be not
anxiously careful Christ does not mean to
rebuke industry and to put a premium on
incidence. Is not the life, etc-Our great
teacher reasons from the greater to the less.
Shall not the giver of life also give appropri-
ate supplies9 Shall not the creator of the
body clothe and support it? Certainly life is
more than food. The interrogation here is q
strong form of affirmation.
V. g. Behold the fowls of the air-We
now come to passage of great literary
beauty; it has received the hearty admiration
of the most careful critics, and it is as spirit
ually forceful as it is rhetorically beautiful.
Following the line of reasoning found in the
previous verse, Christ draws an argument
from Gods care for all his creatures. This
course of reasoning goes to the end Of the
thirtieth verse.
In the twenty-sixth verse the argument
finds its confirmation in Gods supply of food
for fowls or birds The word fowl we now
restrict to edible birds, but in old English the
word was applied to birds in general. Here
it stands for a Greek word which means
winged OF flying creatures. In Luke xii, "A,
we have the word ravens" Doubtless it is
Intended here to include various kinds of
birds. Shall God feed them and not you?
Barns literally, store houses; although birds
neither SOW nor reap, yet they build nests and
seek for food. They follow their instincts
So men are to do their duty, but they must
guard against undue anxiety.
V. q. Which Of youl-The question here
asked implies strong negation. The weak
ness and helplessness of man are here empha-
sized; on that account it becomes him as well
as the birds to trust God. Stature.-Ths
word ip Greek primarily means age; its
secondary meaning is stature. If we use the
word here in that sense the course of reason
ing is this: you cannot add to your height;
you are entirely dependent upon God for
that; why then distrust your heavenly Father
about foodl In John tx, 81, %, the word is
used in speaking Of the age of the blind man,
and in Hebrews II, IL, it is used of the age of
Sarah. Perhaps here it ought to be trans
lated age; a cubit is the measure of the fore
arm from the elbow to the tip of the middle
finger, and, though a variable quantity, is
usually regarded as eighteen inches No
doubt one may add something to his height
by obedience to laws Of health, but we are
disposed to think that the figure here is that
of life as q journey; with that idea in mind
the addition OF cubit would be Insignificant,
would be shat thing which isleast" II then
we cannot do that which is least, why have
fretting care about that which is greateri 1t
Is the part alike Of wisdom and piety to trust
God fully.
v. %. Our Lord here passes from the food
Of birds to the growth of the lilies; and the
argument increases in strength as he goes
from the animal to the vegetable creation
Consider. e., regard attentively; this is an
intensive compound Of the verb learn, learn
thoroughly. The lily was q common flower
In Palestine, found in various colors, red,
orange and yellow; its beauty and fragrance
are celebrated in Solomon's Song ii, 1, 16; v,
Is; vi, 2, g. Christ often saw these and other
flowers when as a boy he climbed the hills in
the midst of which Nazareth lay. Toiling
and spinning may refer to work in general,
though they specifically suggest the treat
ment to which fax was subjected to furnish
clothing for man.
v. 29 Solomon In all his glory. There is
here probably an allusion to Solomon's en-
forcing moral truth by fgurative illustra-
ton Christ speaks thus authoritatively be-
cause Of the seeming improbability of the
Solomon and his reign were
typical Of the splendor of an Asiatic monarch
Christ loved beauty; there is no piety in ug-
illness as such Christ knew history; with
the glory of Solomon's reign he was familiar
But Solomon's splendor fades into insignif-
cance when compared with the beauty of the
humblest flower; at the pinnacle Of his great
ness his glory is surpassed by the beauty and
of one of these. This is very strik-
ing. Solomon arrayed-->that Is, drawn about,
or cast around, with cl6thing-does not reach
In splendor, not all the flowers collectively,
but even one lily; the thought Of one flower
as contrasted with all his glory is to be en-
phasized. Why, then, doubt Godl This is
our Lords method Of reasoning.
Y. 80. Grass-herbage of all kinds sIf"
here does not suggest doubt; it is equivalent
to since; the argument Is from the less to the
greater, and the interrogative form adds to
its force. The brief existsnce of grass is sug-
gested by the words today-to-morrow often
q strong south wind withers the grass in
Palestine in one day. Oven.-One kind of
oven was made Of earth and shaped like
pitcher; in its open top fire was made, and
baking was done by laying paste Of flour
and water on the outside when it was sufi-
GENTLY heated. Sometimes ovens were made
by digging into the ground and lining the
cavity with cement Dried grass, sticks,
and indeed anything that would burn, were
used ~ fuel, owing to the scarcity Of wood
Shall he not-Again the argument Is from
the less to the greater; il God so lavishes
beauty on the flowers and grass, whose life
Is only for brief period, shall he not provide
for his nobler, his immortal creaturesl
VS.. S1-SA Such anxious though Us Is herr
Is heathenish and sinful; such laci
OF faith ss Is suggested in this thirty-fira
verse is unworthy Of Gods children Genti.es
All who are not Jews The heathen live
for today; they are without hope, without
God; they have, therefore, nothing else foi
which to live than earthly things; the same
thing Is true Of many who profess and call
themselves Christians. They live for what